Hi, reader friends! How are you, my lovelies? As another year draws to a close, we can all congratulate ourselves on surviving one more whirlwind trip around the flaming gas ball. We made it! And that’s not nothing.
Today, I continue a tradition I started last year — looking back at my year as a writer. Now is the time to count my blessings and crunch the numbers, so keep reading if you’re into personal growth or hard stats! It’s also a chance for me to reflect on lessons learned and examine what makes me hopeful for the future. So let’s do it!
2025 WRITING OUTPUT
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve written 51 original stories this year! That’s a record, to be sure. A couple of them got their start last year and stalled out for whatever reason, so I finished them in 2025. But nearly all of the 51 were pieces I started and finished this calendar year. The full list contains:
- 1 novella
- 2 novelettes
- 36 short stories
- 5 nonfiction essays
- 7 drabbles
All of this comprises 154,966 words written! I’m quite pleased with this number. I guess this is what happens when I let my other hobbies take a back seat and focus on my story craft. 😉
2025 SUBMISSION STATS
Wowie! This year my story submission numbers really took flight (as did the acceptances, thankfully). Behold — my attempts, failures, and successes. I submitted 150 stories to publishers, and received 81 Rejections and 25 Acceptances. The suspenseful part: 39 stories are still awaiting publisher response. Here’s the full breakdown of this year’s subs, conveniently contrasted with 2024:
2025 PUBLICATIONS
I’ve had 21 pieces (including stories and nonfiction articles) published this year! In case you didn’t know, my full bibliography is housed on this page. Below is a full breakdown of my published work for 2025, with links to the retailers and sites to read them for free. Compared to last year’s 2 published stories, I will absolutely take 21!
- Comedy-horror story “Dead in the Water” appeared in the Spring 2025 volume of the periodical Tales from the Crosstimbers.
- Dystopian love story “Flowery Outcome” appeared on Black Hare Press’s Patreon and in the Year Seven anthology.
- Medical horror story “Head of Surgery” appeared on Black Hare Press’s Patreon and in the Year Seven anthology.
- Dark fantasy story “Battle Fatigue” appeared in Legends of Camelot: Knights of the Round Table, an anthology of Arthurian knight tales from Outsider Publishing.
- Japanese ghost story “Yūrei Disgrace” appeared on Black Hare Press’s website and in the Year Seven anthology.
- Supernatural rom-com story “Meet Cute” appeared in Sometimes Hilarious Horror magazine, Volume 3 Issue 1.
- Witchy tale “Picky Eater” appeared in Flash of the Dead: Reloaded, an anthology of flash horror by Wicked Shadow Press.
- Horror-comedy story “Dinner/Date” appeared in Vampire Visions, an anthology of multi-genre vampire fiction from Storm Dragon Publishing.
- Suburban horror story “Red Meat Diet” appeared in Behind the Shadows III: Dark Secrets, an anthology of secret-themed horror from Inkd Publishing.
- Comedy/horror/scifi story “Trespassers” appeared in Tales from the Lark Side, a comedy-horror anthology from WeirdWideWeb.org.
- Nonfiction autobiographical essay Dark Nights and Soviet Frights appeared in Trollbreath Magazine, Volume 5 – Fall 2025 issue.
- Quiet horror story “Shut-In” appeared in Alone, a flash horror anthology from Black Hare Press.
- Sci-Fi story “Sister Zynn” appeared in Beyond, a Sci-Fi anthology from Inkd Publishing.
- Dystopian satire “The Birthday Girl” appeared on Black Hare Press’s Patreon and in the Year Seven anthology.
- Scifi/horror story “Aeternum” appeared in Occupying Bodies, a body horror anthology by Black Hare Press.
- Crime comedy story “Easy as Pie” appeared in The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and Feeding America.
- Dark comedy “The Etymology of Murder” appeared in the the Winter 2025 volume of the periodical Tales from the Crosstimbers.
- Suburban horror/comedy “Byzantium” appeared in More Monsters Next Door, a creature-feature anthology by Critical Blast Publishing.
- Wild-west horror short “Showdown at High Moon” appeared in Trembling with Fear, an online publication of HorrorTree.com.
- Christmas horror tale “Non-Denominational Office Gathering” appeared on the Horrific Scribes web archive.
2025 MILESTONES
I’ve already detailed my top 10 writer milestones in another post, but here’s the gist. I’ve honestly been blown away by the response my work has received this year. Publishers the world over (across 4 continents!) have chosen to publish my stories, and even paid money for them. I’ve never dreamed that this boyhood hobby would turn into such a rewarding passion in my adulthood. As it turns out, dreams do come true!
Quick pastiche of my favorite events this year:
- My first author speaking engagement was unforgettable! I spoke with a class of third-graders about how to craft a story, and read them an unpublished fairy tale I’d written.
- Became a member of two international writers’ clubs: the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. This helped me make all kinds of wonderful friends in the writing community.
- I published my first nonfiction piece! A childhood memoir about how growing up in Ukraine has primed my love of dark stories. I’m proud of this highly personal and vulnerable essay, which you can read for free in Trollbreath Magazine.
- Lastly: I got my first cover spot! My name is on a dang book, and I will cherish my hardcover copy forever.
2025 Final Thoughts, and What to Expect in 2026
This has not been an easy year for me personally. I suffered an emergency hospitalization complete with two surgeries I didn’t expect, I’ve worked hard on my Master’s degree courses, and I’ve maintained a full-time day job and a (hopefully) healthy marriage. I’ve also been taking care of an ailing loved one and dealing with a heap of family drama. But! Even the most difficult moments have born fruit, whether by inspiring a new story or fostering personal growth. Either way, it’s a win in my book. (Get it? Book. Hehe.)
So, what heights do I have left to climb in 2026? Quite a few, I’m afraid. My first podcast-produced story will likely arrive in the third quarter of the year, which I’m unbelievably excited about. I’m considering attending my first Stoker Con (an annual gathering of the literary horror community) this summer. I’m also querying my two novellas — a sci-fi murder mystery set inside a video game and a survival horror set inside a cave — which I hope will find their publishers this year. I’m excited to continue my partnerships with the publishers and editors I’ve come to know, and to continue experimenting with various genres (comedy, crime, fantasy, nonfiction, whatever!).
Bottom line: my work is cut out for me, and I’m thrilled to slice away all the more. Thank you for joining me on this head-spinning trip! Keep reading and dreaming, my friends. I hope this new year brings wonderful discoveries, joyful moments, and delightful changes into all our lives.
Happy new year, reader friends!
-MR